Familiar demographic dynamic noted in Oakland

This Oakland Tribune article reminds me so much of the recent past here in SFUSD. The demographic shifts... the grass roots, one-school-at-a-time revitalization of some schools... the wave of changes starting with small K-5 schools... it has a very familiar ring to it.

Area schools see demographic shift

Rockridge families might have frequented their local coffee shop, market and butcher, but few saw the neighborhood elementary school as a place for their kids. Despite its proximity to the area's tree-lined streets and restored Craftsman bungalows, Peralta was a neighborhood school in name only.

More than three years later _ in large part, due to an elaborate public relations campaign set in motion by Killebrew and Nicole Aruda, another parent _ that is no longer true.

Middle class families are slowly changing the face of Peralta and other public schools in parts of the city. Whether swayed by high mortgage payments, a newfound sense of community or the buzz surrounding their neighborhood school, some young families are choosing public education for their kids.

In the past three years, Peralta has seen a growing number of white children enroll in kindergarten. Many come from middle- or upper-middle-class families more than willing to pour their time _ and sometimes, their money _ into the school.

The article admirably confronts the racial dynamics of the demographic changes head-on. The author correctly notes that many of the families involved prefer to dance around the race questions, but the author does not. I hope people from PPS-SF are talking to their OUSD counterparts to help them move beyond the racially and socioeconomically polarized communities and form the kind of inclusive parental support communities that they have fostered here in SFUSD.